V: Pilot
"Pilot" is the premiere episode of the television series V. Directed by Yves Simoneau, it first aired on the ABC network on November 3rd, 2009. The series is based on the original 1983 V television mini-series. In this episode, an alien race calling themselves the Visitors comes to Earth and position mother ships in the sky over all major cities across the globe. The High Commander of the Visitors, Anna, greets the populace of Earth as an emissary of peace, saying how she wishes for her people to co-exist with humanity. Reactions to the aliens' presence varies across the world. Some are elated to find new friends from beyond the stars with gifts of medicine and technology, while others are more skeptical of the Visitors' true intentions. Synopsis Across the globe, people feel the after effects of a series of severe earth tremors. Many are confused and do not understand what is going on. As they walk out of their homes and look out their windows, they see a massive space ship descending from the clouds and taking position overtop of most major cities. Witnesses to this spectacle include FBI agent Erica Evans, as well as her sixteen-year-old son Tyler; Catholic priest Father Jack Landry, who steps outside of St. Josephine's Church to look up into the sky; Ryan Nichols, who just finished purchasing an engagement ring for his fiancée Valerie Stevens, and Chad Decker, a television news broadcaster. A mother ship positions itself over New York City. The bottom of the ship turns into a giant viewing monitor and on it appears the visage of a young, dark-haired woman who has a remarkably human appearance. The woman introduces herself as Anna, High Commander of a race of extraterrestrials who identify themselves only as "Visitors". Anna states that they have come from their homeworld to Earth in search of water and an unidentified mineral, both of which are scarce on their planet and is desperately needed in order for them to survive. In exchange for these things, Anna offers to share the wondrous technology of her people and hopes to form a trade alliance with Earth. She emphasizes the notion that the Visitors are of peace and that they hope to co-exist in harmony with Earth. The presence of the Visitors receives mixed reactions from the people of Earth. Many wholly support their new "friends" from outer space, while others remain skeptical as to their true motives. Over the course of several weeks, the populace of Earth come to accept the fact that the Visitors (or "V"s) are here to stay. To help endear humanity to their cause, Anna initiates the Peace Ambassador Program - an open invitation to Earth's youth population to serve as representatives of their people and learn more about V culture. Erica Evans finds her entire world turned upside down due to the presence of the Visitors, both in her personal life and her professional one. Her son Tyler, is completely enraptured by the idea of aliens living on Earth and is only too anxious to join Anna's Peace Ambassador Program. Erica is reluctant to trust the Vs and fears that Tyler's involvement with them will only serve to drive a wedge between them. Father Jack Landry is also skeptical about people's reactions to the Visitors. He feels that the Vs' promises of miracle cures for debilitating ailments is turning people away from God. During one of his sermons, he tells his parishioners that the Vs need to earn their trust and that they should be wary about being so quick to accept their gifts. One of the members of his congregation, a man named Roy, decries Jack's skepticism by rising from his wheelchair, showing everyone how the Vs have cured his paralysis. Meanwhile, Ryan Nichols is approached by a man named Georgie Sutton. Georgie and Ryan have some history together and Georgie wants Ryan to help him with his cause - mounting a resistance against the Vs. Georgie is a conspiracy theorist who claims that aliens were responsible for murdering his wife and children. Ryan is trying to start a new life together with Valerie and doesn't want to associate with Georgie anymore. Dismissing his concerns, Georgie gives Ryan a card and tells him to meet up with him at a warehouse at a pre-arranged time. At the FBI field office, Erica Evans and her partner Dale Maddox are assigned to track down an elusive domestic terrorism cell. Since the arrival of the Vs, most terrorist organizations have laid low or disappeared altogether. One however, has had increased activity since that time and there are reports that they are stockpiling quantities of C-4. Erica finds a name in connection with these reports - Owen Chapman. She goes to Chapman's home, but it is empty. She finds a text message on his cell phone indicating a time and meeting place for that evening. Erica and Dale decide to go undercover to infiltrate the terrorist cell at the meeting place. Anna meanwhile, continues to curry favor with the global populace by meeting with world leaders and extending messages of peace. To help bolster the Visitors' public image, she selects Chad Decker of Prime Focus News to serve as liaison between the humans and the Vs. She agrees to provide Chad an exclusive interview with her in order to smooth over concerns among those protesting the Visitors' presence. Anna however, insists that he is not to report anything that might cast them in a negative light. Chad doesn't care for this tactic, but is too ambitious to sabotage this golden career opportunity. Later in the evening, Dale and Erica go to the warehouse where the terrorists are reportedly having their secret meeting. Dale waits outside as back-up, while Erica attempts to infiltrate the group. Once she's inside, she meets Georgie Sutton, Ryan Nichols, Jack Landry and several others - many of whom are meeting one another for the very first time. Georgie is nervous and untrusting, but is also very vocal about his opinion of the Vs. He tells everyone that the Visitors are not the peaceful aliens they claim to be, but rather, are a conquering species, seeking to dominate humanity. He also indicates that the Vs have been living in secret on Earth for many years now, preparing for the day when they could openly reveal themselves to the world. Georgie wants to mount a resistance against the Visitors and it becomes known that former Visitor sleeper agents, who have been residing on Earth for years, have also created their own anti-Visitor group known as the Fifth Column. To insure everyone's trust, Georgie has a letter V carved beneath the left ear of everyone in attendance. As the meeting continues, a floating crystalline device known as a Seeker enters the room and begins firing projectiles at people. This is followed up by a group of Visitors who raid the warehouse and begin attacking its occupants - hoping to quash the Resistance before it has even begun. One of the attackers is Dale Maddox, who now reveals himself to be a V. The others fight against the Visitors and Erica incapacitates Dale. During their struggle, a part of his face tears away revealing green, reptilian skin beneath it. Erica stabs him in the stomach and manages to escape from the building with the others. Ryan is also injured during the fight and the others learn that he is a Visitor and a member of the Fifth Column. Unlike Dale, Ryan sides with the humans and is helping them to fight back against the Visitors. The group separates before police arrive on the scene and Erica takes some time to get to know Jack Landry a little better. That evening, Chad Decker conducts the first public interview with Anna. He asks her questions about her homeworld and about the Visitors' intentions on Earth. Anna reiterates her policy of peace and speaks about the Peace Ambassador Program. She also proposes to provide universal health care to all who desire it. The interview proves to be a huge success in Anna's favor and her approval rating skyrockets across the nation. Tyler, impressed with everything he has witnessed, is anxious to join the Peace Ambassador Program. He meets an attractive blonde-haired Visitor named Lisa who invites him to tour the mother ship. Unfortunately, Tyler is not old enough to join the program himself and requires parental permission. Tyler forges his mother's name on a permission slip and goes off to join Lisa on the ship. Lisa provides him with a blue and grey waistcoat - the official uniform of the Ambassadorship. From within her private chambers, Anna observes the city. Everything is going according to plan. Cast Principal Cast Guest Stars Notes & Trivia * This episode is included on disc one of the V: The Complete First Season DVD and Blu-ray collection. Quotes * Georgie Sutton: They gain trust with the promise of friendship! And of course, all they're really doing is positioning themselves as the saviors of mankind! * Anna: This is an inspiring moment for us all. Mankind and Visitors coming together. We are honored by your friendship. We will cherish it, nurture it and never abandon it. We are of peace. Always. * Jack Landry: It bothers me that they showed up right when we needed them the most. The world's in bad shape, Father. Who wouldn't welcome a savior right now? * Jack Landry: We're all God's creatures? That's how the Vatican explains the existence of aliens? * Jack Landry: Rattlesnakes are God's creatures, too. Doesn't mean they're good for us. * Anna: Don't be frightened. We mean no harm. Please accept our apologies. We're truly anguished by the turmoil our arrival has caused. This is a momentous day. Until now we believed we're the only intelligent life in the universe. We're overjoyed to find we're not alone. My name is Anna. And I am the leader of my people. What else have they done? * Elizabeth Mitchell: Elizabeth Mitchell was a recurring character on the ABC hit series Lost. She played a character named Juliet Burke and also appeared in the Lost: Missing Pieces mini-series. * Joel Gretsch: Actor Joel Gretsch was formerly the star of a USA Network television series called The 4400. In this episode, one of the locations is called Pier 4400 in homage to Gretsch's past work. * Morris Chestnut: Actor Morris Chestnut played a character named Jeff Carswell on the 1992 comedy series Out All Night. He also appeared on twelve episodes of C-16: FBI where he played Mal Robinson. * Morena Baccarin: Morena Baccarin was a regular cast member on the short-lived "space cowboy" series Firefly, where she played the role of Inara Serra. * Britt Irvin: Britt Irvin also played young Gail Bradford in the "Passed Imperfect" episode of the short-lived sci-fi series Sleepwalkers. Britt then went on to play Merrin in the "Learning Curve" episode of Stargate SG-1 as well as appearances in the "New Lease" and "Mind Reacher" episodes of the 1995 relaunch of The Outer Limits. She then played Nina Toth in the "Charlie and Lisa" episode of the Steven Spielberg miniseries Taken. She appears next in "There is No Normal Anymore". See also External Links * * "Pilot" at the V Wiki * "Pilot" at TV.com Episode Guide * "Pilot" at ABC.com Episode Guide ---- Category:2009/Episodes Category:November, 2009/Episodes